Tall Crimean pine is one of the most decorative varieties of black pine. The plant was named after the English academician Peter Pallas, who brought seeds from Crimea to England in the 70s and raised a cultivated form. The variety is listed in the Red Book, therefore cutting down is punishable by law.
Pine Crimean (Pallas)
Brief information about the variety
- Colour: green
- Height: from 30 to 40, sometimes 45 m.
- Crown width: circumference up to 3 m.
- In which regions is it growing: in nature, this evergreen tree can be found on the mountain slopes and ridges of the Crimea, in the Caucasus and in Asia Minor. On the territory of Russia
successfully cultivated in the south, in the Moscow region, in the Regions of the Middle and Central zone.
- Landing features: scheme - 3x5 m, likes a sunny place with little shading.
- Immunity: Disease resistance is good if all agricultural rules are followed.
- Life span: 200-300 years old.
General characteristics
Crimean pine has a high immunity against many diseases, but subject to all the rules of care - regular watering, top dressing, loosening and shelter for the winter.
The price of an ephedra with a height of 1.8 m is about 3500 rubles, 2 m - 4500 rubles, 2.5 m - 5400 rubles.
Life expectancy from 200 to 300 years, depending on the climate and growing zone.
Cultivation regions
In nature, this evergreen tree can be found on the mountain slopes and ridges of the Crimea, in the Caucasus and in Asia Minor. Under natural conditions, pine grows on rocky, calcareous, gravelly soil.
In a cultivated form, it is successfully grown in the south, in the Moscow region, in the Regions of Central and Central Russia.
External parameters
The description of coniferous culture includes several unique qualities:
- height - from 30 to 40 m, in some specimens 45 m;
- the crown is pyramidal, spreading, fluffy, in old trees, umbrella - up to 3 m in circumference;
- branches are horizontal, bent closer to the apex;
- the trunk is covered with dark, almost black bark with numerous cracks and deep grooves;
- the upper part of the conductor is reddish;
- young branches are yellowish-brown in color with a sheen;
- needles are green, prickly, slightly curved, length - 8-10 cm, width - 2 mm;
- buds are brown, covered with numerous scales;
- cone berries of a red hue, conical or ovoid, single or several pieces (length from 5 to 10 cm, diameter - 5-6 cm);
- seeds 5-7 mm in size, dark gray.
Growing from seeds in the middle lane
Seeds in cones ripen in autumn
It is not difficult to grow this culture from seeds, the main thing is to properly prepare the planting material. Pine cones can be purchased from the nursery or found in the forest.
They ripen in the fall, so a trip for seeds should be arranged closer to the end of the season.
Landing in the suburbs, regions of the Middle and Central strip is carried out in late autumn.
Seed preparation
The buds are dried in a warm and dry place so that they fully open. To speed up the process, they can be heated in the oven, while the temperature should not be higher than 45 ° C, otherwise the seeds will lose their germination.
Before landing, they fall asleep in a container with water, after a while the drowned ones are removed, and the ones that float to the surface are disposed of. The planting material is dried and placed in a cool and dark room until sowing.
Landing technology
- The seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth and irrigated regularly. As soon as sprouts appear on them (after about 2 weeks), you can start planting them.
- The day before sowing, they are etched in a raspberry solution of potassium permanganate.
- For germination, seedling boxes or containers are used - they fill the bottom with expanded clay, then the nutrient mixture to the top (sphagnum and chopped pine bark in a ratio of 1: 4).
- Seeds are laid out on the surface, sprinkled with a thin layer of the above composition, irrigated with warm water.
- Placed in a sunny place where there are no drafts and sudden temperature changes.
- Until the moment of germination, the seedlings are periodically sprayed.
- The process of germinating seeds from cones is protracted - it lasts from 2 to 4 months.
As soon as the sprouts reach 30 cm in height, they can be transplanted to an open area. But as practice shows, such plants do not always take root. The optimal time for transplanting is 2 years from the moment the shoots appear.
Seed cultivation in the south
In regions with warm climates, seeds are sown in autumn or spring. The reproduction technique is used differently.
- After rejection, the seeds are soaked in warm water for several days, it is changed every day.
- Sowing is carried out in grooves to a depth of 3 cm, maintaining a distance between seedlings of at least 15 cm.The distance between rows is 50 cm.
- The planting material is sprinkled with any mulch layer - chips, sawdust, peat.
- Cover with foil to protect against rodents and birds.
- As soon as sprouts appear, the shelter is removed.
Planting young conifers is carried out no earlier than three years after sowing seeds. In this case, the site is sprinkled with soil from a pine forest to help the plants adapt faster after the transplant procedure.
Planting seedlings
The entire success of growing a tree depends on the quality of the material, the correct site and care.
Planting seedlings in the country is carried out in spring or early autumn, so that they have time to take root and take root before the onset of the first stable cold weather.
Plant preparation and selection
Only healthy seedlings are suitable for planting.
Use seedlings purchased from a nursery or grown from harvested seeds.
When buying, inspect them for damage by diseases, pests. Any cracks, breaks, black spots and mold are signs of non-vitality.
It is better to give preference to already grown specimens (2-3 years old) with closed roots. Such plants take root better in a new place.
Plot and soil
Grows well in a sunny place where there are no winds and swamps. The optimum depth of groundwater passage is 3-3.5 m.
The soil is suitable for sandy or sandy loam with a neutral level of acidity. If you plan to land on loams, you need to add a couple of buckets of sand, to deoxidize the acidic earth - chalk, slaked lime or dolomite flour (350 g) per 1 m².
Landing technique
Pits are dug a little larger than the size of an earthen coma, approximately - 70x80 cm. Drainage is laid at the bottom - pebbles, crushed stone, brick chips. Then they are half covered with a nutrient mixture of coniferous, turfy soil and coarse sand mixed in equal amounts. Additionally, 30 g of nitrogenous fertilizers are added to the substrate.
When planting, it is important that the root collar of the plant is on the surface of the soil, otherwise it will rot during the first watering and the tree will die.
If a group disembarkation is planned, it is necessary to follow the scheme - 3x5 m.
Care requirements
The Crimean pine has no special requirements, it grows well and fully if it is given care and attention.
Watering
The crop description includes good drought tolerance, but this quality applies to mature plants, young ones require moderate and regular watering.
With a sufficient amount of moisture, seedlings quickly take root and intensively build up green mass.
Moistening is carried out as the earth dries up and taking into account seasonal precipitation. Be sure to water young conifers in the fall - a month before the onset of the first frost. Moisture-charging irrigation provides them with good winter hardiness.
Top dressing
In the first years of life, plants need to be fed, which will improve the quality of development of the underground and aboveground parts. Fertilizer is applied once a season in early spring. Mineral compositions for conifers are used at the rate of 40 g of substance per seedling.
After feeding, the near-stem zone is spilled with water to avoid burning the roots. Adult trees do not need feeding.
Loosening and mulching
To increase air and moisture permeability, the soil in the near-trunk zone is periodically loosened, mainly after watering. Weeds are also removed as they grow. Carry out surface digging of the earth so as not to damage the root system.
The mulching layer protects the roots from drying out, freezing in winter and prevents weeds from growing in summer. Peat soil, sawdust, fallen leaves and bark of conifers are suitable from mulch.
Pruning
The tree does not need crown formation
This variety does not need formative pruning. They carry out only a sanitary haircut - they remove all branches damaged by frost, winds and diseases, as well as those that grow inside the crown and thicken it.
Preparation for wintering
The adult Pallas pine, like its relative, the black pine, easily tolerates severe winters, and does not need shelter.
Young seedlings can suffer from severe frosts, therefore, on the eve of the first frost, they are mulched with a thick layer of sawdust, fallen leaves or bark of coniferous trees. The aerial part is covered with spruce branches or roofing felt.
Reproduction
Seed propagation is the most effective way to produce a strong, healthy tree with all varietal characteristics.
Cuttings or grafting are not used when breeding ephedra, since such methods do not give positive results.
Diseases and pests
Among all diseases of conifers, Crimean pine is susceptible to:
- basal cancer;
- rust;
- root and stem rot.
For prevention, plants are treated in spring and autumn with fungicide biological products, and also provide the maximum necessary care, care and attention.
Of insects, May beetle annoys, which damages the root system of young seedlings. Therefore, before planting, the pits are examined for the presence of beetle larvae, all parasites are destroyed, and the soil is treated with insecticides (Skor, Aktara or Aktellik).
Another dangerous pest of the Crimean pallas pine is the bark beetle. It gnaws through the passages in the trunks and skeletal branches, as a result, blocks access to food and moisture. Such a tree dries up and dies. Signs of the appearance of the parasite - flour of a brownish tint on the central conductor. For prevention, pines are treated with bifenthrin-containing preparations in early spring.
Silkworm caterpillars eat pine needles - for the entire growing season they can destroy about 700 needles. To destroy insects, the crown is treated with Aktellik, Aktara, Decis, Karate or Engio. To avoid the appearance of the same means, trees are irrigated twice - in spring and autumn.
Application in landscape
A tall, evergreen tree with a fragrant coniferous scent is an excellent element in garden landscape design.
The plant is used in single plantings, as well as in combination with other large-sized crops.
Crimean Pine, also known as Pallas Pine | Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana
Crimean pine or Pallas.
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Pine trees are planted in park areas, along alleys. The invaluable benefits of this culture are noted in the creation of protective belts and decorative forest plantations. This variety is often planted in combination with black pine.
Gardeners reviews
Most lovers of this culture leave positive reviews:
- this variety reproduces perfectly with the help of seeds, the obtained seedlings do not differ in any way in decorativeness from those grown in the nursery;
- needles grow on all types of soil, do not need pruning, which greatly facilitates caring for it;
- gardeners of the cold zone note that the plant practically does not get sick and does not freeze if it is provided with good shelter every year, care and attention.